How to Survive Festival Season

So it’s officially summer and that means one of Street’s favorite things is back in season: festivals. Festivals can either be the best weekend of your summer or a disaster, depending on your squad, your rally skills and if you know the ins and outs of festival life. Luckily, Street is here to give you a few pointers.

Watch the weather. Possibly the most important tip, before committing to a whole day outside know what you’re getting yourself into. If it’s cold, bring a sweatshirt. If it’s raining, rock some rain boots. If it’s sunny, grab some sunscreen (trust us—this is worth it). You really don’t want to be standing in a cold puddle or rubbing aloe on yourself when you get home, so being prepared is going to be well worth your while.

Don’t use your fake. Small shoutout to Governor's Ball this year for taking 80% of the Tristate area’s fakes. Festivals are huge businesses, not Copa on a Friday. Even if you swear to (ID)God that you’re from South Carolina, festivals just have too much to lose to let you in. Yes, we know there are some exceptions to this rule, but do you really want to risk a fake just to buy a beer? A much less risky option is to get your of–age friend to buy—and even then be ready for alcohol monitors to pull you aside and ask to see ID.

Leave the Ray Bans at home. Festivals are not the place to test out your new Ray Bans—under $20 sunglasses were made for a reason. Try to find a cheaper pair of sunglasses that you don’t mind losing. When you realize you lost your nice shades the day after the festival, you’ll be wishing you had just worn a cheaper pair. And anyway, all glasses look the same in pictures.

Get a locker. This is a good move for so many reasons. No one wants to carry a backpack around all day, and lockers are (usually) more stress free than hanging onto a bag in the middle of a mosh pit. And bonus: most lockers have a charging station inside, and you’d be surprised how quickly your phone dies after all the pictures and Snapchats you take all day. Especially if you’re in a place where the temperature drops at night, having a sweatshirt in your locker will make all the difference when your alcohol blanket eventually wears off. Usually lockers only cost between $15 and $20 per day depending on the festival.

Take photos at the beginning of the day. Taking photos when the sun is still out and you’re not LONOH (Lights On, No One's Home) is key. Bad lighting or squad looking "gone" is not what your Instagram needs – if you take photos when you first get to the festival it’s just one thing you don’t have to worry about later. You’re wearing a cute festival outfit, so might as well show it off, right?

Wear the right shoes. Yes, your new wrap–up sandals may be adorable, but can you honestly wear them for a full 8 hours without getting blisters? There's honestly nothing worse than going to concert after concert while your feet are killing you, and there’s no reason to add blisters to the mix. Your junky frat shoes are probably well worn in, and no one’s going to even look at your feet. If it ends up raining, you don’t want to be standing barefoot in a soggy puddle while holding those new Supergas or Vans that were killing your feet. If you just wear comfortable shoes it will make all the difference in the long run.

Watch what you eat. You’d be surprised how many people get food poisoning at sketchy festival food vendors. No matter how much you want to hit up some ~aesthetic~ food place, if you stick to the classic pizza your stomach will be thanking you later.

Know the music. Yes, there are so many fun things to do at a festival, but at the end of the day it's supposed to be about the music. Figure out what bands you and your friends want to see before you get there, or else you’ll waste a lot of time trying to make a game plan. Your festival will be more fun if you get the most out of it, so try to see at least one artist that you like. And make a Spotify playlist before! You might end up finding that you love one of the concert artists you had never heard before. And no matter who you’re seeing it’s better if you know at least a couple of their songs.